Photographer Howard Schatz had an idea: place actors in a series of roles and dramatic situations to reveal the essence of their characters. Such was the premise behind his book, In Character: Actors Acting, which captures some of Hollywood’s most emotive stars in the act of, well, making faces. Luckily for us, he continued the tradition for Vanity Fair. Here are some of the best.

The finishing touches are made to a giant sculpture on the Hayward Gallery entitled “Urban Fox” and made from straw bales on April 18, 2011 in London, England. The sculpture features in the Southbank Centre's 60th anniversary celebration of the 1951 Festival of Britain. The celebration will feature various cultural and creative events and runs from April 22 until September 4, 2011 at London's Southbank Centre. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)

Young man making the O.K. sign. (Photo by George Marks/Retrofile/Getty Images). Circa 1950s

Lizzy Cundy attends the UK premiere of The Eagle held at The Empire Leicester Square on March 9, 2011 in London, England.

A model waits backstage before participating in AFI Joburg Fashion Week show with the theme #AfroAsia, in Johannesburg, South Africa October 4, 2018. Picture taken October 4, 2018. (Photo by Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters)

A model poses backstage ahead of the NLP show at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Australia 2014 at Carriageworks on April 7, 2014 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)

Zhang Jinduo's wife tries on a self-made racing car on the outskirts of Shenyang, Liaoning province May 10, 2008. Zhang, the 53-year-old local farmer made the racing car with the help of his son who is a car mechanic. The car is equipped with a rear-mounted motorcycle engine and can achieve 60-80 km per hour, according to local media. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)

A spectator cools herself at a water spraying fan at the Australian Open tennis championships in Melbourne, Australia, Tuesday, January 17, 2017. (Photo by Kin Cheung/AP Photo)